Shared Files on Win 2000 Server

[taylor5pak]

Hello,

We have recently gone from Novell to Windows 2000 Server and have noticed many files being left open in the Computer Management - Shares - Files locations.. It looks like there are multiple files of the same file open for the same user and multiple users. I am not sure how this is supposed to work..

Going to Win 2000, should all this share infomation be logged here? If the application is housed on the network and each user launches the application via their desktop, I thought it was supposed to run locally, what is actually being logged here? The config.fpw file shows all temp files going to each local client as C:\winnt\temp ...

If the application crashes or if the user closes the app with the X, will these shares go away on the server or do they remain open?

Please let me know if you need any further info, as I am not sure of the scenerio occurring here, it may be just the way it is? Thanks a bunch!

Donna

 

[DSummZZZ]

Your temp files are going to remain in existence, though maybe not open if the app terminates abnormally.
The shares can remain open until the timeout value is reached. That will be set different on different machines though.


-Dave S.-

Even more Fox stuff at:

http://www.davesummers.net/foxprolinks.htm

 

[taylor5pak]

Thank you for your response Dave, but I am still not sure.
Let me explain a bit further:

We have a Foxpro 2.6a Windows application residing on a Windows 2000 server which has a shared folder for the clients to map to. The app and db are on the server with a shared network folder created for the clients to map to. When the clients launch the app, I can then go to the server under Computer Management - Shares - Files and I will see the different users with each showing the file as open. It will show something like this:

J:\foxprog\acct.dbf DTAYLOR read
J:\foxprog\acct.dbf LLAUGH read
J:\foxprog\acct.dbf DTAYLOR read
j:\foxprog\part.dbf DTAYLOR read + write
j:\foxprog\part.dbf LLAUGH read + write
j:\foxprog\part.dbf DTAYLOR read + write
j:\foxprog\rets.exe DTAYLOR read
j:\foxprog\rets.exe LLAUGH read
j:\foxprog\rets.dbf DTAYLOR read + write
j:\foxprog\rets.dbf LLAUGH read + write

What is this telling me, I thought when you launch the app it runs locally on the client... The above looks like it is open on the server?

Donna

 

[DSummZZZ]

What you are seeing is open files residing on the server. Yes, the app 'runs' or is actually resident in the client PC's memory, but it is not actually running on the server. But since it has been executed from the share, it has to be read from the server. The server has to create a file handle for the client to access the executable from so it therefore shows up as an open file.
If you do a Ctrl+Alt+Del on the client PC and looks at the Tasks, you will see it running on the client.


-Dave S.-

Even more Fox stuff at:

http://www.davesummers.net/foxprolinks.htm

 

[taylor5pak]

Thank you very much Dave, that is exactly what I thought and was looking for.. Now I can pass this on to operations. Have a wonderful day!

Donna

 

[taylor5pak]

I am sorry Dave by one more clarification, does this handle process occur with the database files as well? Is this just a handle for the database file or is the database actually open on the server? Sorry Dave and Thank you again!

Donna

 

[dbMark]

All those files listed ARE physically on the server. The exe is listed only as read since no writing will be done to it, unlike the tables (and indexes) which display with read + write access. Likely if the tables had been opened as NOUPDATE they would show up with only read access.

(Any files your program opens on your own local hard drive will not be detected by the server since no links or connections reach out to the server.)

As for your question, handles and connections/links pretty much mean the same thing here. Yes, the server can get out of synch with the workstation (especially when the workstation crashes or application ends abnormally) and display some "old links" as still open and when the user reconnects or starts the app again then you can sometimes see multiple listings. In at least some or most cases the files really are closed, but the listing persists for a while, I think especially with WinMe or Win98 workstations. What makes them disapper? Depends, as I've had cases where logging out and back in will do it and others when the workstation had to be turned off and then logged back in before they disappeared. You could delete the connections, but beware, a user may have one table opened AGAIN in multiple work areas showing multiple connections in a normal fashion.

Of course when doing maintenance on the server during the off hours, you can reboot it and all old connections will be cleaned out.

 

[OnePunchMickey]

Opportunistic Locking on the server can affect this. There's also a bug with XP clients that was fixed in XP Service Pack 1.

***************************************
Need help running those old FoxPro apps on modern systems?

http://www.hentzenwerke.com/catalogpricelists/painlesse.htm